Prosecutors push for anti-phone theft measures

Published: Thursday, June 13, 2013 11:50 a.m. CST

NEW YORK (AP) — The top prosecutors in San Francisco and New York have announced the formation of a nationwide initiative to thwart smartphone thefts.

San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman formally launched what they call the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative at a New York news conference Thursday.

They say they are forming a coalition that includes prosecutors, police, political officials and consumer advocates from more than a dozen states. They intend to put pressure on smartphone companies to help dry up the secondary market in stolen phones.

Among the moves the prosecutors seek is the industry-wide introduction of a "kill switch" that would render stolen phones worthless.

The announcement comes on the same day Gascon and Schneiderman are co-hosting a summit with representatives from major smartphone makers Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.